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curl-6 on 26 September 2020
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SvennoJ said:
curl-6 said:

This is interesting; according to the New England Journal of Medicine, face masks actually could be giving us immunity to COVID-19.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/face-masks-could-giving-people-covid-19-immunity-researchers/

Basically, there's increasing evidence that the amount of virus one is exposed to plays a part in how severe the infection is, and even if a mask doesn't completely stop the virus, it lets in such a tiny amount that it acts like an inoculation.

A correlation with a higher proportion of asymptomatic cases could just as well come from those more at risk staying isolated. That's my experience here. Families with at risk people cohort up together while avoiding those that take less care. Mostly evidenced in the split between those opting for online learning and those sending the kids to school.

It's not the same sample that goes out and gets exposed as when the pandemic started. Eldery homes are shut tight, hospitals are off limits to visitors, new rules everywhere to make interaction safer for those at risk. Hence the much lower average age of infected people, and thus a higher proportion of asymptomatic cases. Besides that we're also detecting far more asymptomatic cases compared to March, April.

There's probably some correlation with viral load exposure and how sick you can get, yet suggesting wearing a masks could be giving you immunity, irresponsible to word it that way. But maybe it will get more people to wear masks that otherwise wouldn't :)

Well, it is just a theory, and is worded that way. I don't think its irresponsible to air a hypothesis, the more people wear masks the better.

With so much bad going on, I think its good to keep abreast of potentially positive developments.